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May 7, 2010

iPad International Release Expected On May 28

by Sam Savage

On Friday Apple announced that May 28 would be the date that the iPad will go on sale in the international market.

The touchscreen portable tablet has already sold over a million units since its U.S. debut on April 3. The demand was so great that it forced Apple to delay the launch date for its international customers.

Apple's statement said that fans in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland would be able to look forward to seeing them in shops before the end of the month.

"Customers can pre-order all iPad models from Apple's online store in all nine countries beginning on Monday, May 10," according to Apple's statement.

The California-based company plans to launch the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July.

The entry level WiFi model of the iPad will cost about $545 overseas, while the most expensive 64GB 3G version will run about $884. In the U.S. the lower end model runs $499 and the most expensive model is priced at $829.

France Telecom became the first European operator to unveil its pricing for the monthly service offered if a consumer buys the more expensive 3G version.

The company said customers would pay about $12 a month with a cap on how much data could be used, while about $49 a month allows for unlimited data.

Impatient consumers in many areas have been busy importing models from the so-called "grey market."

Apple said that over 12 million software applications have already been downloaded for the device from its online store.